Report of two cases of non union of clavicle treated with

www.najms.org North American Journal of Medical Sciences 2010 November, Volume 2. No. 11.
Case Report OPEN ACCESS
Report of two cases of non-union of clavicle treated with
nonsurgical management
Anupama Gupta1, Rajinder Pal Singal3, Rikki Singal6, Pradeep Sahu6, Shashi Singal4, Raman Gupta2, Samita Gupta5
Department of Anatomy1 and Surgery2, Adesh Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Bathinda, Punjab, India.
Department of Orthopedics3 and Gynaecology4 Dr. Kundan Lal Hospital, Ahmedgarh, Sangrur (Punjab), India.
Department of Radiodiagnosis5, MM Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Mullana, Haryana, India.
Department of Surgery6, MMIMSR, Mullana, Ambala, Haryana, India.
Citation: Gupta A, Singal RP, Singal R, Sahu P, Singal S, Gupta R, Gupta S. Report of two cases of non-union of clavicle
treated with nonsurgical management. North Am J Med Sci 2010; 2: 544-546.
Doi: 10.4297/najms.2010.2544
Availability: www.najms.org
ISSN: 1947 – 2714
Abstract
Context: Fractures of the clavicle usually occur at the junction of the medial two third with the lateral one third and
usually heal by nonsurgical measures. Radiographs and MRI of the shoulder provide helpful investigations for diagnosis
and treatment. In the following cases, an anterior-posterior view revealed non-union of the clavicle on the right side, which
is atypical in children. Case Report: Non-union of a clavicular fracture is an extremely rare condition, especially in
children. We are reporting two cases in this paper; in the first case; an 8-year-old male child visited the hospital with a
history of fracture of the right clavicle one year ago. In the second case, a 26-year-old male patient presented with a history
of fracture of the right clavicle six years ago. Conclusion: Careful attention should be paid when obtaining a detailed
history and physical examinations, as traumatic arthritis at either clavicular joint may mimic non-union. The explicable
evidence of osseous non-union on radiographs may be minor and may not correlate with the clinical symptoms.
Keywords: Clavicular fracture, post-traumatic, conservative management
Correspondence to: Dr. Samita Gupta, C/o Dr. Kundan Lal Hospital, Ahmedgarh-148021, District: Sangrur (Punjab),
India. Tel.:9996640686, Fax:01731304550, Email - simisingal@yahoo.co.in
clavicular fracture for one year. There was a history of fall
Introduction while playing and the patient sustained injury to the right
Ununited fractures of clavicle are occasionally seen in shoulder, which led to the fracture of the clavicle. Both
adults, but are rarely found in children [1, 2]. swelling and severe pain were present. The patient had
Post-traumatic non-union of the clavicle is a rare received treatment from an orthopedic surgeon with a
complication in adulthood with a frequency of about 1%. figure 8 bandage for three weeks; however, the pain was
This condition is also exceptional in children, despite the not relieved.
frequency of clavicular fracture at any given age [3, 4].
At one-year follow-up, the upper part of the chest, the
Clavicular fractures usually occur at the junction of the bony prominence in the clavicular region and the
medial two third with the lateral one third of the bone and overlying skin appeared normal. On palpation, there was
usually heal by conservative treatment within three weeks. bony protuberance at the site of the injury. There were no
Surgery is required in about one in 100 cases in which signs or symptoms of neurological deficit. All of the
there is remaining deformity. arterial pulses were present in the affected limb (i.e.,
axillary, brachial and radial). Movements of the shoulder
Case Report were within normal range. On auscultation, no bruit was
Patient one heard at the site of injury.
An 8-year-old male child presented with a right-sided
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Diagnosis was made following a radiograph of the right the right side with no callus formation (Fig. 2). The patient
shoulder, which showed old, non-union of the clavicle at was treated conservatively with analgesics and
the junction of the medial two third with the outer one physiotherapy exercises. At a six-month follow-up visit,
third. There was rounding of both ends without any callus the patient was asymptomatic.
formation (Fig. 1). The patient was treated conservatively
with analgesics and shoulder exercise as the movements of
the shoulder were within normal range. At one-year
Discussion
follow-up, the child was doing well. Ununited fractures of the clavicle are rare [1, 2]. The
non-union rate has been reported to be between 0.1% and
15% [5, 6]. Clavicular non-union is rarely asymptomatic
and often results in disability from pain at the site of
non-union, altered shoulder mechanics, or a compression
lesion involving the underlying brachial plexus or vascular
structures [5]. Fractures of the clavicle are usually in the
medial two third of the bone, which may result from a fall
and subsequent outstretched hand during the fall. The
lateral fragment is displaced forward and downward by the
weight of the limb, while the medial fragment is held at a
higher level by the sternocleidomastoid muscle. The
essential treatment is to support the weight of the limb by
a sling tied over the opposite shoulder. The fractures are
almost always clinically united within three weeks.
About one in 100 fractures of the clavicle require primary
Fig. 1 X-ray of right shoulder revealed old, non union of surgical treatment. Rarely, a fragment may be displaced
clavicle at the junction of medial two 3rd with outer one 3rd and backward and endanger the subclavian vessels. Sir Robert
here was roundening of both ends with no callous formation. Peel, who established the police force of Great Britain,
died of a fractured clavicle which ruptured the subclavian
vein. Peel was attended by Sir Benjamin Brodie who
wrote, “The hemorrhage itself was the consequence of the
subclavian vein having been lacerated by splinters of the
fractured bone” [3]. Cosmetically, it is best to treat
clavicular fractures conservatively. If deformity persists at
the bony ends of the clavicle after several months, surgical
smoothening of these ends is indicated by a short incision
in the line of the skin creases. This causes less deformity
than the scarring resulting from more extensive operative
procedures that may be required for primary open
reduction with internal fixation. In addition, major surgical
procedures may carry the risk of additional surgery for
non-union [4].
The majority of clavicular fractures can be effectively
Fig. 2 X-ray revealed old non-united fracture of mid one 3rd treated non-surgically [7]. The non-union rate of fractures
clavicle of right side and there was no callous formation.
of the lateral end of the clavicle can rise to 37% when a
nonsurgical treatment protocol is initially adopted.
Patient two Reported results for the nonsurgical treatment of fractures
A 26-year-old male patient presented with a history of of the clavicle have been uniformly positive; a combined
fracture of the right clavicle six years ago. He received series of over 3000 fractures showed a rate of non-union
treatment from an orthopedic surgeon in Patna with figure of 0.4%.
8 bandages and a shoulder sling for three weeks. The
patient now complained of pain in the right shoulder with Occult fracture has been well documented in the hip and
limitation of movement for one year. On local examination, the scaphoid and failure to recognize this type of fracture
there was no swelling or deformity and shoulder joint could lead to serious consequences. While clavicular
movements were within normal limits, up to 90%. There fracture is often viewed as benign, it is important for
had been restriction of the movements of the shoulder joint, patients to be aware that any fracture may impact expected
up to 10 degrees on internal and external rotation. All time of recovery. In addition, complications such as
pulses were felt normally. non-union do occur and inadequate initial immobilization
is a common cause [5,8].
A radiograph of the shoulder joint revealed an old,
non-united fracture of the mid one third of the clavicle on Patients who have suffered a clavicular fracture often
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recover well in spite of the risk of non-union; fatal
complications that may occur following vascular injuries
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Acknowledgement Injury 1976; 7:189-193.
This study was completed in the Dr. Kundan Lal Hospital,
Ahmedgarh-148021, District: Sangrur (Punjab), India.
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